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Jillian G. Dayton
Jillian G. Dayton was born in Norfolk, VA (Jan 12, 1971) to Robert Dayton (a Navy Sailor) and Angela Bruntz (a teacher), Jillian attained her BA from Harvard University having gained admission as a National Merit Student. Shortly thereafter attaining her J.D. from Harvard, she returned to Virginia working as a Junior Prosecutor in Norfolk. While in Massachusetts for her education, she had two discreet abortions in the same year, this is kept from the public as she is acutely aware of the burden this would place on her politically. At 26, she sought election as Commonwealth Attorney and was unsuccessful, despite this she successfully ran for State Senate in 2001. In the 2006 Midterms, she won the primary for Virginia's Third Congressional District, successfully winning the open seat of Bobby Scott. Her margin grew markedly in 2008 and she survived the 2010 Republican landslide. In 2013 she sought the Democratic nomination for Governor of Virginia, winning a plurality of votes. When her term as Governor ended in 2018, she announced her candidacy for United States Senator and won election to the Senate in November of 2018 with a remarkable 53% of votes cast. She left office as Governor with an approval rating of 55%. Early Career Serving as first a junior prosecutor before successfully being elected to State Senate in 2002, Jillian Dayton was mentioned a prospective candidate for Virginia's Third Congressional District in the 2006 midterms. She successfully won that election, during the drafting of the Affordable Care Act she voiced support for a public option. She stringently supported the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell in 2011. In early 2013 she was mentioned as a possible candidate for the Virginia Senate race in 2014. In February of 2013 she quelled all such rumors and announced that she would be a candidate in the 2013 Virginia Gubernatorial Election. Governor (2014-2018) As Governor of Virginia, she successfully lobbied for legislation introducing 'VUSE', the Virginia Universal System of Education through which the State Government would subsidize drastically, the fee for Tertiary Education for its own residents. The scheme made it possible for low-income families to send their children through the Virginia College Network at no immediate cost. For Virginia Residents, positions labeled 'Commonwealth Supported Places' were introduced, these were capped at varying Universities relative to the capacity of the institution to handle students, students would incur approximately $6,500, $8,500 or $12,500 of 'Student Contribution Debt' per year dependent on how much they were likely to earn after graduation, and would be required to repay this debt upon graduating. VUSE steered prospective graduates towards STEM subjects, earning her criticism as ‘ending the arts’. The system was highly successful and its provisions that required students to remain in Virginia until their entire debt was repaid ensured it provided education-based economic stimulus to the state. The legislation is rumoured to be at the top of the Senator's legislative agenda in D.C. Further, as Governor in the wake of the GFC and 2008 Recession she restructured the state tax system raising taxes on all income earned over $100,000. Her term as Governor was among the most productive in State History, passing a large number of legislative items that revitalized the State, the VPT Act, bolstered public transport access across the state, however one of her most iconic acts was 'VAHCA', which expanded Medicaid under the ACA, increased targeted Veterans Healthcare and increased funding for public hospitals and clinics through a Tobacco and Alcohol Excise. The Virginia Healthcare Act also expanded Abortion Access, permitting women to seek an Abortion on demand in the first 23 weeks, requiring that women attain the advice an referral of two doctors between the 23rd and 27th week and wholly prohibited abortions in the last 12 weeks 'unless extraneous circumstances lead to recommendation from six different doctors'. Upon leaving office she stated, "if I had a second term? I'd push for Paid Parental Leave, Ranked Choice Voting, subsidized Medication, a carbon control scheme and the legalization of Marijuana." Despite her productive and well liked term in office, she increased the state’s debt, while she has argued this is insignificant as ‘the State’s economy grew too’. Her departure from office was marked by a reduced deficit and thanks to strong national economic growth the debt-GDP ratio has reduced despite not having had a surplus. Her successor, has made fiscal balance his priority in the next biennial budget. U.S. Senator (2019-) In 2018 she was successful in winning the US Senate Election in Virginia, she herself has resisted efforts to label her as a moderate or progressive, instead calling herself a pragmatist. Category:Democrats __FORCETOC__